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- Referred to children and families
- Referred to children and families
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Provides that sliding scale co-payments for child care assistance funded by block grants shall not exceed ten percent of a family's household income
In Assembly Committee · Social Services · Sponsor Susan John
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to limiting co-payments for child care funded by block grants to ten percent of household income
Purpose or general idea of bill
This bill limits family co-payments for child care funded through block grants to ten percent of household income.
Summary of specific provisions
Section one amends social services law subdivision 6 to provide a child care assistance on a sliding fee basis based upon the family's ability to pay. Co-payments shall not exceed ten percent of a family's household income.
Justification
A child care subsidy provides low income parents access to quality child care that they could not otherwise afford, but it only provides meaningful access if the parents' co-payments are in an amount that low income families can afford. A cap equal to 10% of household income would assure that New York complies with the intent of the federal child care legislation that co-payments be affordable and provide equitable treatment of similarly situated low-income families across the state.
Federal child care regulations clearly suggest that co-payments should not exceed 10%. Federal regulations which require sliding fee scales for child care subsidies further require the state to explain how families can afford co-payments. The preamble to these regulations states: "...in our view, copayment scales that require a low-income family to pay no more than ten percent of its income for child care, no matter how many children are in care, will help ensure equal access." 63 Fed. Reg. 39960.
Furthermore, this bill will set a statewide policy about co-payments for child care. A statewide cap of 10% will assure that low income families, regardless of the county in which they live, will pay the same percentage of family household income for child care. Now, under New York State's formula, similarly situated families pay dramatically different fees for child care depending solely upon the county in which a family lives. A federally funded benefit should not be so inequitably distributed among the citizens of New York State.
Prior legislative history
A.8333 of 2003-04: referred to children & families A.1266 of 2005-06: referred to children & families A.6087 of 2007-08:
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
180 days after the bill becomes law,
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.